2026 Annual Enrollment: October 27 through November 7
It’s time to plan for next year and prepare to enroll for your 2026 benefits. Annual Enrollment for your 2026 benefits begins October 27 and ends November 7, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Explore this page to find details about what’s changing, important dates and other helpful information.
Introducing the Surest Advantage Plan through UnitedHealthcare
This new medical plan option gives you the power to easily compare providers and their exact costs for services, all before you make an appointment. Learn more.
Big news for 2026 benefits!
We’re committed to bringing you the best when it comes to your health and wellbeing, and we’ve got some exciting updates for 2026!
After a thorough review of several medical carriers and a deep dive into our medical plans, we’ve chosen some great options for our employees in 2026. We will continue our partnership with UnitedHealthcare (UHC) as our primary medical carrier. We’re also thrilled to announce some enhancements that provide you with more options, greater flexibility and exceptional value.
Our partnership with UHC in 2026 will offer medical plan options that provide you with choice and flexibility, including a brand-new plan: the Surest Advantage Plan, designed to help you take more control of your healthcare and your budget.
To streamline our offerings and focus on plans that deliver better value to our employees, the UHC Choice PPO and Blue Cross BlueShield of Alabama (BCBSAL) plans will no longer be offered in 2026.
Get ready for smarter, simpler healthcare that works for you. Explore your options, compare plans and find the best fit for your lifestyle and wallet.
Take action
Get started with your Annual Enrollment checklist below.
Take the checklist with you.
- Review your benefits
- Review your current elections. Visit enroll.stryker.com and click Your Benefits Summary under Quick Links.
- Consider your 2026 coverage needs. Use the Medical Expense Estimator tool to compare medical plan options and determine an ideal HSA or Healthcare FSA contribution amount to maximize your tax savings.
- Explore 2026 benefit options, including the new Surest Advantage Plan. Explore this page and reach out to the myHR Team with any questions.
- Prepare to enroll
- Gather dependent information. Before you enroll, make sure to have Social Security numbers, dates of birth and dependent certification documents on hand for newly added dependents.
- Check your beneficiaries. Confirm the right person receives your life insurance and other death benefits if the unexpected happens. See below.
- Verify your address and phone number in Workday. Make sure your benefit materials (such as new ID cards) are sent to the correct address.
- Choose your benefits
- Make your elections at enroll.stryker.com between October 27, 2025 and November 7, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. While enrolling, it is important to verify that your dependents are enrolled in the correct plans. After completing your enrollment, print and/or save a copy of your confirmation statement for your records.
- Take action to change your coverage for next year, including medical, dental, vision, supplemental health, supplemental life and spouse/domestic partner/child life insurance.
- Confirm or change your benefit elections and/or make changes to your covered dependents.
- Avoid the annual $600 Tobacco Use Surcharge. If you enroll in one of Stryker’s medical plans, you must complete the Tobacco Use Affidavit every year, indicating the tobacco use status for you and your covered spouse/domestic partner (if applicable). Your 2025 Tobacco Use Affidavit will not carry over to 2026.
- Contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Your current election amount will not roll over to 2026. You cannot make changes outside of Annual Enrollment* unless you experience a qualifying life event. For more information about qualifying life events, review the Summary Plan Description.
- Provide documentation (if applicable)
- Provide proof of dependent status for newly added dependent(s). If you do not submit documentation by November 14, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time, your dependent(s) will be removed and will not have coverage in 2026. Remember, unless your covered child has a qualifying disability, they may only be covered on Stryker's plans until the end of the month they turn 26.
- Complete Evidence of Insurability (EOI) for your and/or your spouse/domestic partner’s supplemental life insurance, as applicable. Unum will send EOI information, including the deadline to complete it, to your Stryker email address in January.
Important! Action may be required this year
If you are currently enrolled in the UHC Choice PPO or Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama (BCBSAL) plans, you will be defaulted into a new medical plan for 2026, unless you take action during Annual Enrollment and select a different medical plan. See more details below.
In addition, you must take action if you wish to:
New! Surest Advantage Plan
The Surest Advantage Plan is designed to make healthcare easier.
Offered through UnitedHealthcare (UHC), the Surest Advantage Plan gives you power over your healthcare experience by providing the coverage you'd expect from traditional health insurance, but with clear cost and coverage information, so you know upfront what's covered and what you'll pay. Learn more at surest.care/stryker.
Top five reasons to consider the Surest Advantage Plan
- Compare costs before making an appointment. No deductibles. No coinsurance. No hard math. Instead, clear and upfront prices. The Surest app and website show you prices for providers in your area before you need care, giving you control and helping you save.
- For office visits and many procedures—from having an MRI to having a baby—you see one price. By grouping these services—combining the labs and x-rays that go along with a medical procedure or test into one price—Surest makes it easier for you to know what you’ll pay in advance.
- Access the UHC Choice Plus network you already know. With 1.8M+ providers and 5,600+ hospitals, it’s one of the largest provider networks in the U.S.* and includes the same providers and pharmacies in-network today.
- Pay less when you use high-value providers with a high Care Rating. High-value providers deliver more effective care with fewer complications and better outcomes—while using resources efficiently. On the Surest app or website, you’ll see doctors with high Care Ratings have lower copays.
- Breathe easier knowing there is no change to what’s covered. You’ll have access to the same coverage and benefits you rely on today through Stryker's UHC plans, like preventive and primary care, prescriptions, hospitalization and specialist care, with an annual out-of-pocket maximum that limits your costs for covered care.
* UHC internal analysis as of March 31, 2025.
The Surest Advantage Plan allows you to know what you'll pay for healthcare.
With actual prices (not estimates) and tools that remove the guesswork, you can focus on what really matters—your health and wellbeing.
Care Ratings help you choose providers with confidence
Care Ratings are a simple way to help you navigate care options and potentially save you money. Surest evaluates providers and locations based on past claims data. Higher ratings are given to high-value providers with a record of quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness, such as lower rates of complications after surgeries and better use of resources.
Providers with a higher Care Rating are assigned a lower copay.
Explore more about the Surest Advantage Plan
- Visit surest.care/stryker to learn more about the Surest Advantage Plan:
- Access videos, flyers and a quick overview of how Surest works
- Schedule a 15-minute appointment with a Surest expert
- Look up your current providers to see their copays and Care Ratings
- Call Surest Member Services at 866 683 6440 for questions about coverage, costs for services, provider Care Ratings and more.
- If you enroll in Surest, additional resources and new ID cards will be available closer to January 1.
- Watch a short introductory video.
- View the Surest overview handout and the Surest section of the Annual Enrollment FAQs for more details about the plan.
- If you enroll in Surest, additional resources and new ID cards will be available closer to January 1, 2026.
Attend a live Surest information session
- View the schedule to sign up for a live onsite and/or virtual session.
- Access the recording if you are unable to attend a live session.
Compare your medical plan options.
Take a fresh look at your medical plan options for 2026 including:
- The new Surest Advantage Plan, a no-deductible, copay-only plan that offers clear and up front pricing, so you know what you’ll pay in advance and what's included. This plan is designed to connect you to high-value* providers and facilities at lower costs.
- The UHC Premium and Basic HSA Plans have the lowest paycheck costs and allow you to save money tax-free in a Health Savings Account. The HSA offers a triple tax advantage—money goes in tax free, builds earnings tax free, and comes out tax free when used on eligible expenses. And the money rolls over year after year, so you can keep saving to cover future healthcare expenses—even into retirement. Once you reach a minimum balance, you can invest some of your funds and potentially grow your account with tax-free earnings.
- The UHC Value PPO Plan, for those who prefer a traditional PPO plan.
You can use the Medical Expense Estimator tool to help determine which medical plan best fits your needs. You can also review detailed medical plan examples to see sample scenarios for choosing a medical plan.
*High-value providers deliver more effective care with fewer complications and better outcomes—while using resources efficiently.
Compare the features of your UHC medical plan options
UHC Choice PPO and BCBSAL plans no longer offered
Effective January 1, 2026, the UHC Choice PPO and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama (BCBSAL) plans will no longer be offered.
Findings from our recent review show that UHC offers other comprehensive plan options—including the Surest Advantage Plan—that can provide cost savings and more transparent, upfront costs as compared to the UHC Choice and BCBSAL plans. UHC also offers more covered services than the BCBSAL plan.
If you are enrolled in the UHC Choice PPO or BCBSAL plans and do not take action during Annual Enrollment, you and covered dependents will be automatically enrolled in the plans shown below for 2026:
| Current plan | 2026 default plan |
|---|---|
| UHC Choice PPO Plan | Surest Advantage Plan |
| BCBSAL Plan | UHC Value PPO Plan |
Note to BCBSAL members
If you’re enrolled in the BCBSAL medical plan, you may not need to change providers to stay in-network—our recent review showed significant overlap between the UHC and BCBSAL networks. To check if your providers are in UHC’s network, visit myuhc.com, click “Find a provider” and search for providers in the UHC Choice Plus network.
As a UHC member, you will have access to new benefits that are not covered by the BCBSAL plan, including chiropractic care, fertility benefits and access to more virtual providers.
Additional changes for 2026
Review these other changes that take effect January 1, 2026.
Your cost for coverage
Medical plans: As healthcare costs continue to rise, your costs and Stryker’s costs will increase in 2026 for existing medical plans. Your cost for the Surest Advantage Plan will be lower than the 2025 UHC Choice and BCBSAL plans. Stryker will continue to pay more than 75% of the cost for most plans.
All other plans: Your costs will not change in 2026, unless you move into a new age or salary category for supplemental life and critical illness benefits or change your coverage.
2026 costs can be found in the 2026 Benefits at a Glance. You can also find costs on the Benefits Enrollment Site as you enroll.
How do your costs compare?
Our coverage continues to be comprehensive, high-quality and affordable compared to other companies. Take a look at how your 2026 monthly costs for medical coverage compare to other Fortune 500 companies last year.
| Stryker Surest Advantage Plan | Stryker UHC Value PPO Plan | Fortune 500 PPO plan average | Stryker UHC Basic HSA Plan | Fortune 500 HSA plan average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee-only coverage | $156 | $151 | $168 | $70 | $102 |
| Family coverage | $481 | $464 | $600 | $128 | $364 |
HSA/FSA contribution limits
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has increased the annual contribution limits for the Health Savings Account (HSA) and the Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
For the HSA, the combined amount you and Stryker can contribute in 2026 will be:
- Individual: $4,400
- Family: $8,750
- Over age 55 “catch-up” contribution: $1,000
The 2026 Healthcare FSA limit will increase to $3,300 and the Day Care FSA limit will remain at $5,000.
Coverage enhancements
Medical: Starting in 2026, our medical plans will include enhanced breast imaging coverage. This means any additional imaging or pathology required to complete the screening process for malignancies—or to address findings on the initial screening mammography—are covered without cost sharing when you use an in-network provider.
Dental: The following enhancements will be added to our dental plan:
- Bite guards will now be covered once every five years instead of once per lifetime.
- A new Special Healthcare Needs Program will help members with special healthcare needs and/or physical disabilities who may need additional appointments or sedation to receive dental care. The program allows four cleanings per year instead of two and covers treatment delivery modifications at 100% in-network, such as anesthesia and nitrous oxide, or completing a cleaning or other procedure over multiple visits.
Vision: The copay for lenses (single, bifocal and trifocal) will decrease from $20 to $10, helping you save on vision care expenses.
New in 2026! Family building, parenting and midlife health benefits through Maven
We are excited to introduce new family building, parenting and midlife health benefits that are coming next year. Administered by Maven, these new services are designed to support employees and eligible dependents through their unique life journeys—including fertility, maternity, parenting, surrogacy, adoption, low testosterone, menopause and more. Stay tuned in 2026 for more details about these benefits.
Decision support
Use these tools to compare and choose your 2026 benefits.
Enroll
Log on to enroll.stryker.com using your Stryker email address and network password. You can enroll from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection. Make your elections between October 27, 2025 and November 7, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
Get help
If you have forgotten your Stryker network password, contact the IT Service Desk.
Remember to:
- Use a compatible internet browser (the latest version of Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge or Safari).
- Clear your browser cache. Open the settings in your internet browser and clear your history and website data. Then, close all browser windows and log in again.
If you need other help, contact the myHR Team at 877 795 2002.
Additional medical plan options
| Plan name | Only for | Administered by |
|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Plan | California employees | Kaiser Permanente |
| Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) Plan | Hawaii employees | Hawaii Medical Service Association |
| Cigna International Expatriate Benefits Plan | Employees on international assignment for six months or more | Cigna |
| Out-of-Area Plan | Employees who live far away from the UHC Choice Plus network | UnitedHealthcare |
Are your beneficiaries up to date?
Annual Enrollment is the perfect time to check and confirm your beneficiary information. Take a moment today to check your beneficiary information using the links below:
- Life insurance: enroll.stryker.com
- 401(k): retirementplans.vanguard.com (plan number 090081)
- HSA: optumbank.com
- Critical illness: enroll.stryker.com
Legal notices
Review Stryker’s 2026 legal notices and disclosures, which include the notices listed below.
- Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Notice
- Summary Annual Report (SAR): Stryker Corporation Welfare Benefits Plan
- Notice Regarding Wellness Program
- Notice of Your Right to Request a Special Election Opportunity
- Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 Notice
- Notice of Creditable Status of Your Prescription Drug Coverage
- Notice of Availability: Stryker Corporation Welfare Benefits Plan’s Notice of Privacy Practices
- Notice: Premium Assistance Under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)